The Fae King's Ruin

The King and The Vows

Avery was relieved to find that their seats were among the other members of the Council. He found Caeldon instantly, wrapped in his shadow despite the overcast weather they were having. His tall figure was hovering over his very pregnant wife as she spoke to Peia Solaris and Zachary, which was actually surprising since he had not seen the Vampire Queen since they escaped Alcalia by the skin of their teeth. He smiled widely as Caeldon’s head snapped up at their approach. The others turned as well, pausing in their conversation.

“You look marvelous, dear,” Peia Solaris told Aislin as the latter blushed in his arms. “So do you, Majesty.”

“That’s so kind of you,” Aislin demurred. “That peach looks lovely with your complexion.”

Peia Solaris bowed her head while Avery shook Caeldon’s hand and bent down to kiss his wife’s cheek. “I have not seen you in so long, Bea,” he said to her with a sweet smile. “How’s the little heir doing?”

Bea grinned at him, her fangs showing as she cradled her huge baby bump. “This little monster has been kicking more and more frequently since we’re due to have it any day now. But it’s nice to get out of the house.” She nodded towards her husband. “I had to strangle this one into letting me attend the wedding.”

His friend rolled his red eyes at his wife as Avery sniggered and pulled Aislin closer. “I don’t believe you have met my fiancée yet. Bea, this is Princess Aislin of Cetha. Dear, meet Caeldon’s mate and wife, Queen Bea.”

Aislin made to curtsy but Bea was quicker to hold on to her wrist to stop her. “You don’t need to curtsy, Princess,” she said with a curious smile between them. “I am very honored to meet you.”

“So am I,” Aislin said, returning her grin. “Congratulations on the baby, by the way. It seems to be a running theme amongst the nobility nowadays.”

Bea’s eyes widened at Aislin’s joke, her eyes dropping to his betrothed’s flat stomach. Avery managed to swallow his laughter as Aislin caught her look and began shaking her hands palm out towards the vampire.

“Oh, no! No, no no no! Not me!” Aislin said, scrambling to explain her joke. “I’m not pregnant! I just meant, er, the bride is also pregnant and—” She sucked a huge breath. “Crap.”

Avery patted her hand. “It’s okay, Aislin.”

“Forgive me,” Bea said with an apologetic smile directed at her. “I seem to have lost my sense of humor along the way in this pregnancy. Ilyn knows that I have already lost my ability to see below my navel and remember where I just put my quill.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Zachary interjected. “You were pretty damn accurate when you said Atticus looked like an old boot.”

Avery glanced at the Keymaster in question, noticed the dark brown robes he was wearing and looked back at Zachary. “I thought we were supposed to be wearing human clothing. Why does he still look like his obnoxious self?”

“You already said it,” Peia Solaris murmured, picking off a piece of invisible lint off her dress. “He’s obnoxious.”

Their group erupted in chuckles that garnered them looks from others. The beginnings of a soft melody signaled for everybody to find their seats. Avery helped Aislin as she sat beside the Vampire Queen. Solaris sat in between him and Zachary, who muttered something about his wings that the former quickly shushed him about.

Sitting in the second row on the right side, they had a clear view of the altar and the aisle. He felt Aislin take his hand as the entourage began to march. Squeezing her fingers gently, they watched as Xaero appeared in a cream-colored suit sans necktie and replaced it with a lavender pocket square. He wasn’t exactly scowling, but he was not smiling either as he walked, nodding to guests who attended with a vaguely neutral expression. He took his spot on the altar as Safiya’s nieces and nephews paraded with flowers, ushered in by one of the bridesmaids. Shortly after came Safiya’s brothers. One by one, Giannis, Narcissus, and Aiden appeared, escorting their significant others, all dressed in soft gray and lavender.

Next were Ella and Laurie, grinning from ear to ear as they walked down the aisle in each other’s arms. As the best man, Laurie wore a suit the same color as Xaero’s with a lavender tie that matched Ella’s dress. The two of them waved at the Council when they passed by, and with a smooth change of songs, stood on either side of the aisle— with Laurie standing beside Xaero and Ella taking her place behind her cousin as the wedding’s officiant— as the doors of the manor opened.

Safiya appeared dressed in a white, tulle gown with full skirts that made her baby bump barely noticeable. They all stood as Ebenezer, as her eldest brother, escorted her down the aisle. Watching his friend take every step closer to the altar had him holding on to Aislin’s hand even more, the whole scene just filling Avery with happiness and anticipation for their own. He noted Safiya’s broad smile and bright blue eyes that were just for her mate, her tulle hanging sleeves transparent enough to show the purple mating band adorning her arm permanently. 

“Holy s**t,” Avery heard Aislin mutter under her breath, not realizing that he could hear her. “He’s crying.”

He looked over to where she was looking and was indeed stunned to see that Xaero was finally scowling with red-rimmed eyes while tears slipped down his face.

“Oh, my gods,” Avery gasped, blinking at the sight of the General’s tears of joy. A couple of seats down from him, Caeldon slowly shook his head.

Laurie, however, didn’t react as the rest of the attendees did while staring at Xaero. He simply fished a white handkerchief out of his pocket and wordlessly handed it to the groom.

“I wish we could have bet money on this,” Zachary lamented.

“Be quiet,” Peia Solaris chastised promptly as she stared with slight perturbation at the sight of the General crying. “I think it’s sweet of him.”

“Oh, yeah? Then why is your face like that?” he whispered. 

Beside Avery, Aislin and Bea chuckled. Safiya and Ebenezer finally reached the altar, and with a few whispered words, gave his sister’s hand to Xaero and stepped back in line with the rest of his brothers. The music ends with a soulful, reverberating note as the bride and groom faced the altar.

"You may all be seated," Ella, with her voice enhanced, said to the guests. After a full pause, she continued. "We are gathered here today to bear witness to the ceremonial binding of two souls and two great clans forevermore. Although it would be incredibly stupid for anyone to attempt it, I am obligated to say that if anyone wants to object to this union, speak now.”

Slowly— and with a face now devoid of tears— the great General Xaero glowered as he scanned the assembly.

“Aaand now he's back,” Aislin whispered discreetly, making him grin.

Satisfied, Ella smiled and looked at the bride and groom. “Now that's out of the way, we will hear the prepared vows of both Safiya and Xaero. Males first," she said, smirking at her cousin.

Xaero took a deep breath, his eyes connecting with his mate's. "I'm not good with words," he began, much to the amusement of everyone else. "In fact, I was horrified to learn from my cousin that you wanted us to write our own vows. I was happy to stick to the generic, traditional ones spoken by my parents and yours, but I have long learned that for you, I would do practically anything."

Letting go of one of her hands, he looked behind him, towards Safiya's brothers. “The first part of my vows concerns my mate’s brothers, the men who had taken great care of their sister in their parents’ stead after the terrible atrocities of the witch trials. I promise to protect Safiya and our children with my every breath, to love her until the world goes dark, and to be with her through whatever may come in the years ahead of us.” Xaero put a hand over Safiya's pregnant belly. "To my children, I vow to be the best parent I could be. You will never know pain like we did. I will build you a world that you deserve— even if I have to strong-arm your godmother into getting my way."

"Gods help their children if they turn out to be girls," Caeldon muttered.

Avery scoffed. "You talk as if you would be any better."

"Would you be?" he shot back, raising a brow.

As Aislin giggled, he let himself entertain how he would like to be as a parent. Of course, he was lucky that he had great parents for role models. His mother and father were equal parts loving and firm, not just with him, but with just about everyone. And if he could be just half as good as they were with him, Avery would be set in this future role. 

He looked to Aislin, wondering if it had ever crossed her mind. He was well aware of the gaps in both their cultures and was not sure how that would play into them raising their children in the future.

A hundred different scenarios ran through his head, already poring over each and every situation that may arise where they would need to compromise. And instead of feeling terrified, Avery suddenly found himself looking forward to facing that kind of challenge with Aislin.

Thanks to him spacing out, he missed the rest of Xaero's vows and a hefty chunk of Safiya's. Soon, they were exchanging rings and Ella was announcing them as bonded for life. He stood with the rest of the crowd, clapping and cheering as loud as he could, while they kissed and went back down the aisle. 

They disappeared into the Manor as guests were ushered to the sides while the witches and warlocks, upon Ella's instructions, transformed the venue right before their very eyes. The altar was transfigured into the bride and groom's table, chairs were arranged around tables and the canopy of flowers above the gazebo were put into vases for centerpieces. A shiny black platform occupied the space in the middle for dancing as warm lights from lanterns floated above them. Once the changes were made, servers started guiding them towards their assigned tables.

“That was amazing,” Aislin said to him, still staring at the lanterns with wonder. “Magic never fails to surprise me despite being born into this world.”

Avery smiled at her. “I know what you mean. That also happens to me sometimes. My father once said it is a healthy attitude to have and helps us respect it more.”

“Respect magic?”

“Yeah. We just don’t draw it anywhere. If we abuse magic and where it comes from— such as our bodies and our environment— it turns on us and we decay. And as Fae, we are more connected to nature, which is why we are its primary protectors.”

“What are you two talking about?”

He and Aislin turned towards Laurie who was wearing his usual, boyish grin. Avery smiled. “Magic,” he said, not elaborating any further as he shook the Mistress’ mate’s hand. “That was a great ceremony.”

Beside him, his fiancée nodded. “It was incredible,” she said, agreeing.

Laurie grinned at her. “Did it give you any ideas for your own? Only a few months from now, eh?”

Avery put on a haughty smile. “Oh, Lorenzo, what makes you think we aren’t all set?”

His eyes widened, chuckling. “It seems as if I'm the one who needs to take notes. You guys enjoy yourselves. I need to make my rounds or else Ella will have my head on a platter. See ‘ya later!”

They watched Laurie walk away, instantly getting swept up in a conversation with some Fallen he knew. Beside him, Avery could feel Aislin staring at the side of his face.

“Are we all set?” she asked with a raised brow, knowing the answer full well.

“No,” he simply said. “Now let’s go and mingle before dinner is served. And don’t forget to remember when you see something you like. We have a meeting with our wedding coordinators in a couple of days.”

Aislin’s laughter was only one voice amongst many in a place where they were surrounded by happiness and entertainment, yet he heard her perfectly over the noise and music as they both crossed the garden arm in arm.